“Yes. I can “, are the first words of the German call center director IQ to Link, who speaks with enthusiasm about the approaches of his company in Kosovo with us.

While recalling the beginning of the establishment of his company in Kosovo, Jens Reichenbach tells us about his experience in this country as well as his expertise from 17 years of cooperation with the shipping service company DHL in Germany, where he is responsible for the activities of the call center in Germany US, India and other countries.

He knew Kosovo through a friend who had encouraged him to invest in the new country. When starting the work preparation, after several visits to Kosovo, he became aware of the potential of young people in Kosovo. The high intelligence, the very good language skills of the German speaking Kosovars, the will and the passion for work were some of the reasons that convinced him to open a call center for the German Post in Kosovo.

“The people are very nice. People I met are hungry for work and want to achieve a lot. They have talent and are willing to learn, “says Reichenbach.

The challenges he had to overcome were technical. One of them was to find a suitable building for work and the high rental costs in Kosovo.

Nevertheless, thanks to the support of local authorities, he managed to start working with his company in 2015, initially employing 150 people.

He had heard from acquaintances that he had to apply different rules in Kosovo than in Germany. However, by using his business strategy, he has managed to create a comfortable and communicative work environment for the employees.

This manifests itself through the attitude and the friendship with his employees. They often have lunch together, discussing difficulties, performance, goals to be achieved or looking for ways to develop the business.

The company director admires the young Kosovars with admiration, emphasizing: “The reason I achieved success in Kosovo was simply the result of the performance of the staff”. They are intelligent and understand the work very fast. “The majority of them have completed undergraduate studies. In Germany, this work is often done by someone with a lower level of education, “says Reichenbach. That’s why the quality of work is much better. Another quality that Reichenbach would like to emphasize is “the almost accent-free German pronunciation of the Kosovars”.

“I love my job”

Tranda Gjonbalaj, a native of Montenegro and raised in Germany, tells how much she enjoys working in this company. For personal reasons, she returned from Germany and came to Kosovo to start a new job and start a new life.

“I speak Albanian very well. But I like it very much that we all speak German here and learn new words every day, “says Gjonbalaj, who works as an Account Manager.

Although she lives here without her family, she does not feel strange. On the contrary, she has become very friendly with her colleagues and she also has a collegial relationship with her superiors. For her and her colleagues, the workplace has become like a second home. She attributes this merit to Jens Reichenbach, who has not introduced a separate hierarchy in the company and is very cooperative.

“He is always interested in the staff, discussing, paying attention to the problems or challenges of his employees and always trying to find the right solution,” says Gjonbalaj.

In the meantime, Albulena Gashi, one of the first employees in the company, says that she loves her work.

“I come to work every day with great pleasure. Recognition, organization and training are just some of the features of our company that I appreciate, and I feel very good about being part of the company. ”

She also talks about other good opportunities for professional development offered by the company. Motivation through bonuses or incentives, promotion based on the work done, or skill enhancement make this company so special.

200 new jobs by 2017

In addition to its headquarters in Pristina, IQ-to-Link has opened new offices in Prizren. There are currently about 45 employees. The expansion of business activities in other cities such as Prizren is the result of the need for employment for young people in Kosovo, the commitment of the management as well as the successful initial project.

According to the director, IQ-to-Link has ambitious plans for the future. “By 2017 we want to create more than500 new jobs.